February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of many African-Canadians who have contributed to the life and times of this great country. As we welcome the first official visit of President Barack Obama, to Canada, we are reminded of his comments related to Black History Month. It is “a...Continue reading
President’s Message, December 2008
It has been a very busy fall for the NAJC, with the National Conference celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Redress Settlement on September 19-21/08, in Vancouver, as well as the many regional celebrations across Canada. The organizers of the Vancouver event, Grace Thomson, Cindy Mochizuki and Ron Nishimura, did a tremendous job of giving...Continue reading
October President’s Message
After a year of preparation, the national celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Japanese Canadian Redress Settlement is now behind us. While I have not yet had time to digest what all happened, from accounts received so far, I think we can safely say it was a memorable event, and undoubtedly credit goes largely to...Continue reading
September President’s Message
Japanese Canadian Redress Settlement 20th Anniversary Celebration Website: http://redressanniversary.najc.ca/redress/conference.html Q: What is the most important date in the history of Canadians of Japanese origin? A: September 22, 1988, of course. This is the date on which the process of renewal began for all Japanese Canadians. For the first time in our history, we felt enabled...Continue reading
President’s Message July
In The Triumph of Citizenship. The Japanese and Chinese in Canada, 1941-67 (UBC Press, 2007), historian Patricia E. Roy describes the Government action in 1942 as evacuation (evacuate: remove people from a place of danger, Oxford), due to “fear that frightened and angry white British Columbians might violently attack Japanese Canadians and their property.” She...
President’s Message June
During the last week of April, I attended the Canadian Race Relations Foundation Award of Excellence Symposium, held in Calgary. “What is Canadian Racism?” was the main theme, which engaged in a critical analysis of a distinct manifestation of racism, through diverse workshops focusing on policy, education, and training, toward better understanding of racism in...Continue reading
President’s Message, May 2008
How to celebrate? With poetry, dance, stories, laughter, tears, and resolutions, or simply a glass of champagne! When the Redress Agreement was signed on September 22, 1988, outbursts of various expressions (even tanka verses) of extreme delight and relief were recorded, particularly in Justice in our Time (1991), by Cassandra Kobayashi and Roy Miki, and...
Redress Anniversary Website Up and Running
To help facilitate the upcoming 20th Anniversary celebrations of the Redress Agreement (September 22, 1988- September 22, 2008), a new site has been set up where one can find out more information and register for the conference. Please visit us at http://redressanniversary.najc.ca/redress.
President’s Message April
I mentioned earlier that Oppenheimer Park, known as Powell Street Grounds (or remembered as Paueru Groundo by people like my parents, who as immigrants settled in this area), is currently being re-designed for more effective use by this Downtown East Side community. I noticed last week that several new cherry trees were recently planted at...Continue reading